Dispensing cabinet



May 1933- 5. WHEELER, JR 1,910,076

May 23, ,1933. 5. WHEELER, JR

DISPENSING CABINET 4 Sheets Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 11, 1929 M f i w RN EYINVENT} May 23, 1 5. WHEELER, JR

DISPENSING CABI'NET Filed Jan. 11, 19 29 vUB 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 iuz MmORNEYAS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 3. WHEELER, JR

DISPENSING CABINET Tiled Jan. 11, 1929 May 23, 1933.

W34, EYS

Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICEQ. '1

SETH WHEELER, JR, or ALBANY, NEw YORK,- AssIGNoR To A. r. w. PAPERco.,foE ALBANY, NEw YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK DISPENSING oABINE'rApplication filed January 11, 1929. Serial No. 331,922.

My invention relates especially to a cabinet designed for dispensing,and has relation more particularly to a cabinet for dispensinginterfolded paper sheets, as, for instance, paper towels.

The object of my invention is to provide a dispensing cabinet which isarranged in such a manner as to be provided with a removable containertherein for receiving the packets, as, for instance, packets of foldedtowels to be dispensed by the machine. Hitherto, such cabinets have notbeen provided with means enabling the packets to be inserted in acontainer or cartridge and the charged container then to be insertedwithin the dispensing device and, accordingly, it has-been difiicult toreplenish the dispensing cabinet with the articles, especiallyinterfolded paper towels. It will be readily understood that adispensing cabinet can be more quickly and readily replenished with thearticles to be dispensed when using my device, inasmuch as dispensingcabinets are located in awkward places and much time is lost inrefilling the same. Frequently, also,

articles, especially in the case ofinterfolded paper towels, will not beproperly inserted into the cabinet where there is no means for charginga container separately and thereafter introducing the charged containerinto the :cabinet. Also, in accordance with my invention it will bereadily understood that thecontainers could be charged at a centralplant by machinery, or otherwise, with a minimum of labor and thereafterthe charged containers couldbe transported to and inserted quicklyv intothe dispensing cabinet used therewith.

While myinvention is capable of embodiment in many different forms, Ihave shown only one form of the same in the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a dispensing cabinet illustratingmy invention on line ll f Fig; 1;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same on line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section ofzthe same online55ofFig.2; f

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6ofFig.4; .3

Fig. 7 is aniinternal'front elevation, of the back part of the cabinet,I

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the same;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 10 is a front elevation ofthe front part of the cabinet;

Fig. 11 is a plan view-of the same; and

Fig. 12 is a side elevation thereof.

In the drawings, I have shown a dispensing cabinet comprising a rearmember 1 hav ing a plurality of holes 2, 3 and 4 for the introduction ofhooks 'or bolts for attaching the cabinet to any desired surface, as,forexample, a wall. on the forward 'face' of the rear portion thereoftwo U-shaped brackets 5 and 6,- having upwardly directed hook-shapedends 7 and 8 respectively for supporting the inner,

container for the interfolded towels, as hereinafter described. The rearmember, furs thermore, has atopportion 9 to cover the top of thecabinet, a leftside portion 10 pro-' vided with a hinge 11 forattachment there-. to and a hinged edge 12 of a front member 13.Further, the rear member 1 has a narrow right-side 14 provided with arecess 15. through which an operating handle '16 of the dispensingmechanism is designed to pass. The side portions 10 and 14 are unit'-edacross the front of the cabinet by a ver-'. tic'al portion 17 and aninclined portion 18 and at the bottom of the cabinet with a bottomportion 19. It willbe noted'from'Fig. 9 that the bottom portion 19extends only part way across the cabinet and that there is a pocket 20formed at the end of the bottom wall 19 for receiving a laterally removable money box 21 adapted to be locked in' the usual way. r

The front member 13 of the cabinet is comprised, further, of a topportion 22,"a front cover 23 having secured to the lower? end thereofan-inclined wall 24 corresponding in position to the wall 18 and, inaddition, a side portion 25 having a recess 26 to: permit, the passageof the handle member This rear member 1 has" 16. In order that thecontents of the cabinet may be observed at all times, so as to determinethe time for refilling, the front member 23 may be provided with asightopening 26a, which may be covered wit glass. r Within theinteriorthere is removably supported a towel container 27 having openings 28 and29 at the rear of the same to fit over the brackets "and 6 forsupporting the container in place within the cabinet. Also, thecontainer 27 is maintained laterally in its proper position by verticalangle bars 30 and 31, which are riveted-to the back will be'noted fromFigs. '1 to 5, said container has a rear portion 32 with two angulatrecesses 33 and 34 therein for receiving the angle bars and 31. Also,the container has side walls 35 and 36 and left and right front portions37and 38, the latter of which terminates, as shown in Fig. 2, somedistance below the top of the cabinet to permit the insertion of a.packet of interfolded 2??) paper towels 39 at this point. It will benoted that these towelsare arranged in a packet each in the formresulting from folding it in the middle and then having the folded towelarranged, in Z-fo'rm with the two ends of the next succeeding towelextending over both sides of the lowermost fold of the first mentionedtowel, as shown in Fig. 1. In other words, these towels are in aninterfolded packet and the machine is arranged. for dispensing thesetowels by placing the lowermost fold of each towel in succession withinthe reach or grasp of the user so that the said towels can be removedoneafter another from the pack, but onl one at a time. For this purposethe packet of towels 39 rests upon a mouth-piece 40, which is comprisedof two side portions 41 and .42 having'slots liifor the passage ofscrews 44 to enable them to be attached to 491 the sides 35 and 36 ofthe towel container; also of converging Z-shaped angle members 45 and 46having an opening 47 between them for the depending end of the lowermostfolded towel. The container being removable, it may be taken out, andthe dispensing mechanism may be repaired or replaced very easily. If areplacement is made and the new dispensing mechanism is of a slightlydifferent form or size, the mouthpiece may be adjusted by means of theslots 43 and screws 44 to the proper height so as to correctly feed thetowel to the rolls 55 and 56. The angle member has a cutout portion soas not to interfere with a coin chute 50 contained in the apparatus.

The details of the coin actuating mechanisin and of the deliverymechanism actuated by the coin mechanism, do not constitute my inventionand, accordingly, are not.

of the rear member 1 of the cabinet. As

herein described in detail, but are disclosed in the application ofAndrew Joseph Brecht upon dispensing apparatus, executed on the 3rd dayof December, 1928, Serial No. 331,- 738, filed January 11, 1929.

In general, however,- this mechanism-comprises. a coin chute 50 adaptedtoconduct a coin to one of a series of pockets 51' in a wheel 52 adaptedto bebrought into cooperation with the operating handle '16 while thecoin is in place. The rotation of the handle .16, therefore, when thecoin is in 47, which fluted roll 55 contacts with amotherro'll 56,bothof which rotate iii-unison with gears-57 and 58 secured thcreto.- It

will be understood that the roll '56 is carried in slidable journalboxes 59 and 60=maintained in position bysprings 61 and 62 so as toallow lateral movement between the rolls but keep them at all timespressed together; The towel, by the movement of the rolls referred to,is passed downwardly through a slot 63 containingahand-recess- The 64for the withdrawal of :the towel. above mechanism is such as to permitthe withdrawal of only one towel at a time,

corresponding to the particularycoin in serted. p

In order'that the apparatus may be maintained' intact againstunauthorized interference the rear portion and front portion of thecabinet are provided-with a haspw65- and eye '66 through which a padlock6 may besecured. Y

Inthe operation of my invention it will be assumed that the cabinetis-in the -p0si-- tion in which it has been used until' all of theparticular packet of towels has beenv withdrawn by the insertion ofsuccessive coins therein; In order to-refill the cabinet the lock 67 isremoved and the hinged front member 13 is then swungopen and the comtainer 27 is removed by lifting-it out of the cabinet away fromthe'supporting brackets 5 and 6. Thereupon a 'packetof interfolded;

towels is inserted into this container, or, if desired, a containerwhich-has'been -refilled at the planter factory can'be 'substi-'-tutedinsteadp The filled container is-then; reinserted into the cabinetby first-threading the end of the lowermost interfolded towel betweenthe-1 rolls 55 and 56 in such a position that when the next coin isinserted the rotation of the handle 16 will deliver the same withinreach of the user The removability of the container enables the end ofthe lowermost towel to be properly threaded through the rolls 55-and56*as, if

it were not for this arrangement it would be very difiicult to alwaysproperly thread the towel in its proper position between the said rolls.In threading the towel in this manner through the rolls, the rolls willbe moved manually by grasping the center of the front roll and turningit until the towel has been advanced to the proper extent. Thereupon,the cabinet is closed by reapplying the lock 67 and the towels will nowbe ready to be dispensed by the introduction of a coin and the operationof the handle 16, as hereinabove referred to.

While I have described my invention above in detail I wish it to beunderstood that many changes may be made therein without departing fromthe spirit of the same.

I claim:

In combination, a cabinet provided with a bracket, spaced angle bars onthe wall of said cabinet, a container provided with a slot, saidcontainer being removably suspended on said bracket, said containerbeing formed with angular depressions which permit the container to bepositioned in the space between said angle bars.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my handthis 3d day of December, 1928.

SETH WHEELER, J R.

